The Moulin Rouge
by Gabe
Summary: Chapter 2 is now up! Finally, the romance begins. And yes, as hard as it is to believe, I did not make this fic a Dawson vs Pacey one. I can't be the only one tired of those. So I have decided on a different, but obvious new bad guy. R+R!
1. Pacey Meets the Bohemians

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Author Notes: The last time I wrote a DC fanfic was years ago, when I wrote the fanfic "The Choices That Were Made." I've decided to jump back into the DC world after a long leave of absence. I'm hoping to write a string of fics putting our beloved DC characters in famous storylines that we know and love. That's what I've done here. This fic is completely AU and is based on the movie Moulin Rouge. Please remember that I wrote this from memory so it won't be exactly like the movie, but it should be close. I hope everyone enjoys imagining their favorite characters in roles that they would never be in. The writing style in this one is sort of childish, but that's only because in the movie, Ewan's character told the story in a very simple, childish manner. Hope you enjoy!

****** 

The night was beginning to fall on Paris, France. Jack McPhee, a strange, loud, and humorous dwarf, a pure child of the Bohemian revolution, sat atop one of the tallest buildings in the city. A building only a few blocks from his former home, the Moulin Rouge. Tears filled his eyes, as they always did when he thought about the events of the weeks past. He knew he had to let go of the emotions that were bottling up inside of him. So he did so, the way one special person had taught him to in the not so distant past. He began to sing. 

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There was a boy 

A very strange enchanted boy 

They say he wandered very far, very far.

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Over land and sea.

A little shy…

He thought of that boy, the boy who had became a man by the story's end. His heart ached for him. He knew that the boy was feeling a pain he didn't understand, one he hopefully would never experience himself. The boy, Pacey Witter, was perhaps the luckiest and most unlucky person he had ever encountered in his life. The one person who made him ponder one of the worlds greatest questions… Jack spoke aloud, "Is it better to have and loved and lost, than to never of loved at all?" He took a deep breath…and continued to sing… 

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And then one day 

A magic day he passed my way

And we spoke of many things…

Fools and kings,

This he said to me…

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Jack remembered what he said…Perhaps the most insightful, genius thing he had ever heard… 

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The greatest thing… 

You'll ever learn. 

Is just to love… 

And be loved… 

In return. 

His mind quickly relived the story that he had the pleasure and the pain of being apart of. A tale of love, a tale of jealousy…a tale that should only be told…but never lived. A tale that could have only happened in one place…The Moulin Rouge. 

******** 

The Moulin Rouge. A nightclub, a dance hall, was ruled over by Dawson Leery, the king of nighttime pleasures. It was a place where the rich and powerful came to play with the young and beautiful creatures of the underworld. The children of the revolution. The Bohemian Revolution. The revolution that overtook the youth of the world. Everyone was an artist, everyone had a purpose, and everyone believed in the same things. 

Beauty. Freedom. Truth. And love. 

The most beautiful of these underworld creatures was Josephine Potter. They called her, "The Sparkling Diamond." She was a courtesan. She sold her love to men, and she was the star of the Moulin Rouge. She was the woman Pacey Witter fell in love with. 

******* 

It was 1899 when Pacey Witter arrived in Paris, France. He knew nothing of the Moulin Rouge, of Dawson Leery, or of Josephine. The world had been swept up in the Bohemian Revolution, and he had traveled to Paris to be apart of it. 

His father had tried to discourage him from going. "It's a center of sin!" But as soon as he arrived he had seen that his father's words couldn't have been farther from the truth. "You'll never be a writer Pacey! You screw up too damn much to be anything!" 

He would prove his father wrong. 

He came to live a penniless existence in the middle of the Revolution. He was amidst artists of all kinds. Painters, actors, musicians, they were all centered in the underworld of Paris. He came there to be a writer. A writer of beauty, freedom, truth, and above all things, love. 

There was just one problem. Pacey Witter had never been in love. But, lucky for him, right at that moment an unconscious young man fell through his roof, who was quickly joined by a dwarf dressed a nun. The dwarf spoke as he burst in through Pacey's door. 

"How do you do there? My name is Jack Ramón Toulouse LaFrance McPheeee." He held out the last syllable of his last name for emphasis. A bright smile crossed his face as he walked over to the young blonde man who had just fell through Pacey's roof. "I'm terribly sorry about all this. We were just upstairs rehearsing a play." 

Pacey could only think of one word to say…"What?!" 

"Yes a play! Something very modern called…" The dwarf's hands flew in the air and a charming smile crossed his face…it seemed to Pacey that the dwarf was trying to emphasize how great the play was…"Spectacular Spectacular! And it's set in Switzerland!" 

The young dwarf walked to his unconscious friend who was dangling from the ceiling of Pacey's apartment. His foot was still caught on something on the apartment upstairs, leaving him to look like a rather tacky chandelier hanging from the ceiling. "Unfortunately our friend here, Charlie is his name, suffers from an odd disease called narcolepsy. He's awake one minute." Jack made a few snoring sounds for effect, "Then unconscious the next." 

Before Pacey could respond, a strange trio looked down upon them from upstairs. "Is he ok?!" Asked a rather loud female, whom he soon came to know as Audrey. She did not seem happy. She seemed rather stressed, as one would be after working with such an odd group of young men. Pacey stared blankly upwards at her, completely lost in the utter confusion around him. 

The young woman, Audrey, continued to complain, "Seeing as how the young Bostonian is now unconscious, the scenario will not be finished in time to present to the financier tomorrow." She looked down into apartment at Jack and Pacey, giving them both a look that made it seem she blamed them both for the situation. 

Another person, an odd, glasses wearing, top hat sporting, Elton John rip off spoke next. "I still have to finish the music!" Pacey was caught off guard. They all seemed very unprepared for people who were supposedly presenting a show tomorrow. 

Jack flashed another smile, as he remained much calmer than his fellow thespians. "We'll just find someone to read the part." His solution seemed simple enough, and all though two of the three people looking down on them seemed to accept it, Audrey wasn't having any of it. 

"Where are we going to find someone to read the role of a young, sensitive, Switzerland goat herder?" Pacey unconsciously made eye contact with Jack, and from the very instant he did, he wished that he hadn't of. Before he knew it, he was upstairs, standing in for the unconscious Bostonian. 

***** 

Pacey sat atop a fake mountain range, wearing a rather silly looking dress hat with a strange yellow feather sticking out of the back of it like a cow lick. Below him, Jack, still dressed as a nun, began to sing. The music behind his lyrics wasn't really music at all…it was a mix of odd sounds and rings…like a mixture of small appliances and cellular telephones all ringing at the same time… 

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The hills are awake,

With the euphonium symphonies of Vespaaaaaa 

Uh ha! 

What an absolutely horrid song! Pacey couldn't believe that these people were actually going to present this to someone tomorrow. Apparently, neither could Audrey. "Stop stop!" She ran over to the young Elton John wannabe, Sateese, behind the piano. "Stop the awful music! It's drowning out my words! Can't we just stick to a little decorative piano?" It seemed to Pacey that there were definite artistic differences between Sateese's music and Audrey's words. 

That's when all hell broke loose. Pacey could only watch from atop his fake mountain as the group of thespians all started to complain about each and every little detail of their show. It started when the long bearded, quiet, older gentleman of the group said, "I don't think a nun is going to be singing about a hill." 

Sateese quickly through in another suggestion, "What if she said, the hills are vital to the toning of the sound?" 

Then Jack jumped in, "No! The hills are shaking and quaking!…" The rest was quickly interrupted when Charlie, who was laid peacefully down on a bed across the room, jumped up. 

"The hills are alive with symphonic melodies!" Before he could hear everyone's dismissal of his suggestion, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he once again collapsed back onto the bed, asleep. 

The group got louder and louder with suggestions and dismissals. As they continued to debate, the perfect combination of words came to Pacey. "The hills are…" He tried to share his suggestion with the group but it was just too loud for him to be heard. He tried again, "The hills are…" Yet again, no one stopped to hear his suggestion. Finally, irritated by the lack of attention, Pacey broke out into song himself. His voice loud enough for everyone on their floor to hear. 

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The hills are alive… 

With the sound of music. 

The group was stunned. Pacey's voice was flawless…enchanting. It demanded attention, but was still soft, and gentle enough to be considered beautiful. They all stared blankly at Pacey, who was still on the fake mountain range above them. Before any of them could speak, once again, Charlie jumped off the bed. 

This time, he walked towards the group, grunting a word with each slow stomp he took in their direction. "The hills are alive with the sound of music." He looked at them all, and then up to Pacey. "I love it!" Everyone instantly became lost in their own world, singing Pacey's lyrics to themselves, all accepting how perfect they were for the play. 

Everyone instantly fell in love with Pacey. Everyone except Audrey, who was visibly jealous over Pacey's natural talent and perfect suggestion. "It fits perfectly!" shouted Sateese from behind his piano, where he was playing the song over and over.

Pacey smiled at the compliments. Never had anything he'd written been so accepted and adored. The words kept flowing to his mind, and he felt no need to stop singing now. 

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With songs they have sung. 

For a thousand years. 

A collective gasp came over the group as they instantly fell in love with another one of his suggestions. Jack could barely contain his joy. "It's wonderful!" Jack jumped in the air as he strained his neck to look up at Pacey. Sometimes Jack hated being a midget. He flashed Pacey a smile and looked to Audrey. "Audrey…you two should write the show together." Jack's voice was calm and audibly hesitant, because Jack knew what Audrey's reaction would likely be. 

She stared angrily at Jack, furious at his suggestion. Then, with no prior warning, she walked quickly to the door, opened it wide, and only said, "Goodbye!", before slamming it shut behind her. 

Jack smiled and picked up his drink from a small table nearby. The green liquid splashed around in his glass as he raised it in a toast towards Pacey. "To your first job in Paris." He smiled and quickly took down the shot. 

Sateese, quickly ran over to Jack. "But Jack! Isn't he kind of green?" 

Jack only replied with, "The hills are alive with the sound of music." That was all he needed to say. Pacey's talent was undeniable. 

Sateese looked up to Pacey. "No offence. But have you ever written anything like this before?" 

Pacey was completely lost in what had just happened. Had he just been volunteered for this job? Was he going to have to write a play? "No," was his answer to Sateese's inquiry. He most definitely had not written anything like that before. And he wasn't so sure he could do it again. What if he had to write the play and he couldn't do it? What if it was awful? What if no one liked it? What if it was a failure and his dad was right about him? His mind just kept spinning…

Charlie broke into the conversation. "Ah! The boy has talent!" Charlie walked next to Pacey, who was descending a latter, and through his hands out. "I like him!" Little did Charlie realize, one of his hands had landed directly on Pacey's crotch. 

Pacey froze, and his jaw flew open. Charlie turned his head as soon as he noticed that the surface his hand rested on was indeed not the wall. When he noticed where his hand had stopped he quickly pulled it back and looked nervously at his group of friends. "Nothing funny. I just like talent." He gave a nod and then took a few steps away from Pacey. 

Jack motioned all of his friends to huddle around him. The excitement was getting to him as he repeated the words. "The hills are alive with the sound of music! With Pacey writing the show we can finally put on a true Bohemian Revolutionary show like we always dreamed of!" Everyone in the group instantly became joyous when they realized the opportunity they had been presented.

Sateese, always the pessimist, interrupted the festive mood. "Yes. But how will we convince Leery?" Little did he know, Jack had a plan. 

"Josephine," he replied, and then continued to explain his plan. 

They would dress Pacey up in one of the Bostonian's best suits and attempt to pass him off as a famous English writer. And once Josephine had heard his modern poetry, she would be astounded and insist to Leery that Pacey write Spectacular Spectacular. 

The only problem was Pacey continued to hear his father's voice in his head. "You're going to waste your life at the Moulin Rouge with some Can-Can dancer!" The thoughts came faster and faster and Pacey was beginning to be overwhelmed. Before anyone could ask what was wrong he quickly ran to the ladder that ran from the floor of their apartment down through the hole in his ceiling. He whined out a simple statement, "No! I can't write a show for the Moulin Rouge!" 

The group quickly chased after him, making him stop before he climbed all the way down the ladder. "Why not?" Jack demanded to know, his voice still soothing and calm. 

Pacey on the other hand, was neither soothed nor calmed. "I don't even know if I am a true Bohemian Revolutionary!" Another collective gasp fell over the group of thespians. 

Jack was the first to question him. "Do you believe in beauty?!" 

"Yes." 

Charlie followed, banging on of his fists against his chest. "Freedom?!" 

"Yes, of course." 

Sateese poked his head through the group and stared down at Pacey. "Truth?!" 

"Yes." A slight smile came across Pacey's lips. He only wanted to write the truth. 

The bearded, still nameless man, chimed in next. "Love?!" 

Pacey was caught off guard by the question. Never had anyone wanted him to believe in love. Everyone in his small town of Wilmington, North Carolina called him a fool for believing so blindly in an emotion he had never felt. "Love…love. Above all things I believe in love. Love is like oxygen. Love is a many splendor thing. Love lifts us up where we belong! All you need is love!" A bright smile came across Pacey's face as he was able to share his belief in love with others that shared it. 

Once again, Pacey's words had stunned the group. His words excited them. He seemed to understand what they were all about. What they all stood for. And he made it seem so simple. 

Jack was ecstatic. "See! You can't fool us! You are the voice of the children of the revolution!" 

"We can't be fooled!" The other three cried out in unison as they all lifted Pacey off the ladder and back into the upper floor apartment. 

"We call on you to write the world's first truly Bohemian Revolutionary show!" Jack danced around the room, insisting that they press on with his plan. 

It was a hectic plan. Pacey was to audition for Josephine, and he was to taste his first glass of Absinthe, the preferred drug of the children of the revolution. It was a smooth, green liquid, purchased easily in a large glass bottle in any store in the underworld of Paris. 

As soon as Pacey tasted the sweet substance, its effects kicked in. He looked at the scantily clad fairy on the bottle, and much to his surprise, she came to life right before his very eyes. 

"I'm a fairy!" She said as she flew of the Absinthe label and into the air in front of the five hallucinating males. She began to sing. 

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The hills are alive. 

All five of them started to sing along with the fairy. 

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With the sound of music. 

They all broke out in laughter as the fairy began to dance in front of them. She was very suggestive in her movements, bending her body in all the right ways so that the young gentlemen could get perfect glimpses at all her assets through her small green outfit. 

The men continued to laugh and all soon ran to the window of the apartment and began to sing out over Paris' underworld. 

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We believe in beauty. 

Freedom. 

Truth and love. 

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They continued to sing in the background, dancing their way onto the streets. 

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No you won't fool the children of the revolution. 

No you won't fool the children of the revolution. 

They sang and smiled and the sexy little fairy followed them on their way. Singing over their background vocals. 

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The hills are alive. 

With the sound of music. 

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They were on their way to the Moulin Rouge. And Pacey was to perform his poetry for the one and only "Sparkling Diamond," Josephine Potter. 


	2. Welcome to the Moulin Rouge

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Author's Notes: Finally, I get start telling the love story. Which is actually the most compelling part of the story. Anyway, few surprises are in store for you. Like who is the villain here?! You mean it's a P/J story where Dawson is a good guy?! Yes! Want to know who the villain is? Keep reading! I hope everyone enjoys it and continues to have fun with this absolutely ridiculous scenario. Gotta love the Moulin Rouge.

They were all dressed well, but none of them looked as dashing as Pacey did. The suit he had borrowed from the narcoleptic Bostonian had fit perfectly, making it easy for him to pass as one of France's most upper class and elite socialites. 

Pacey, Charlie, Sateese, Jack, and the bearded gentleman all stepped onto the sidewalk in front of the Moulin Rouge. Pacey became lost in a gaze with the bright lights that flew overhead. It was the first time had seen anything like it…and it was more dazzling than he could have ever imagined. 

The other four men managed to drag Pacey through the doors of the nightclub, and they soon entered a large room. Several tables inside enclaves surrounded the perimeter of the largest wooden dance floor in France. Pacey looked out among the huge crowd of well-dressed gentleman, and noticed that there wasn't a single woman in sight.

At that moment, a loud, attention-grabbing voice boomed over the hall. "The Moulin Rouge!" It was the voice of Dawson Leery. He was about to make his appearance and start the show. Here's where they had to be careful. The group had to evade Leery at all costs. If he saw Pacey with the likes of Jack and his crew, he would never believe that Pacey was a famous English writer. 

It had occurred to the group to just stay away from Pacey during Leery's opening number, but they knew that with all the dancing and singing that was about to take place, someone new to the Moulin Rouge could be trampled to death in mere seconds.

At the opposite end of the dance floor, a gigantic set of wooden doors swung open and out came the proud owner of the Moulin Rouge, Dawson Leery. Following directly behind him was the Moulin Rouge's main attraction, "The Diamond Dogs." The Diamond Dogs were the lingerie wearing, suggestively dancing, beautiful women that kept the rich, powerful men from all over hooked on the Moulin Rouge week after week.

The Diamond Dogs were led by Jennifer and Andie, the two most beautiful dancers Dawson Leery had to offer, with the sole exception of Josephine. Jennifer and Andie led The Diamond Dogs through the crowd of men as the music started to rise in volume. As the Diamond Dogs spread themselves evenly among the crowd of men, they began to sing.

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Voulez-vous coucher avec moi,

Ce soir.

Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, flow sister…

Pacey stared wide-eyed at the site in front of him. Hundreds of girls, wearing close to nothing, all around him, singing one of the sexiest songs ever written in the most sultry voice they could come up with. He smiled and watched as Dawson Leery appeared from the crowd of women and started his opening rap, while the girls continued to sing Lady Marmalade behind him.

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When life's a mortal bore,

And living's just a chore,

And you're blue because there's not much fun.

I have just the antidote,

And though I mustn't gloat,

At the Moulin Rouge! 

You'll have fun!

Pacey continued to look on, amazed at every single move that every single person made. He watched Leery continue to rap and dance among the legions of Moulin Rouge dancers, and he was put into a trance. How could he have never known places like this existed? A place where everyone was free, a place where there were no rules, and a place where status and money didn't matter, even if for only a few hours.

As Pacey fell back into reality, he noticed that all the Diamond Dogs and Dawson Leery had cleared the floor. He looked over the copious crowd of men in tuxedos and it became fairly obvious that a dance number was breaking out….something that seemed to be happening a lot to him lately…

Odd as it was, as soon as Pacey fell into line with the other gentlemen, the dance routine came natural to him, as if he had been dancing it his whole life. However, he was positive that he had never heard such lyrics sung by anyone, much less the cream of the French society.

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Here we are now. Entertainers.

I feel stupid. And contagious.

As the dance continued, all eyes soon flew to the stage on the floor above them, where once again Dawson Leery burst through a door. And as always, The Diamond Dogs weren't very far behind. Dawson gave a wicked smile as he leaned over the balcony and continued to rap at the crowd of businessmen, lawyers, and even royalty.

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Do you have some dark desire?

Like to play with fire?

Why not let it rip?

Live a little bit!

Do the Can-Can-Can!

Diamond Dogs flew past Pacey from all directions. Legs were being kicked, skirts were being lifted, and fun was being had. Again, Dawson Leery burst out from yet another door on the top floor. He absolutely loved his job.

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Outside it might be raining,

But in here it's entertaining!

What a place to be!

Do the Can-Can-Can!

Now every single person in the Moulin Rouge was dancing the Can-Can and singing a song. The sounds of the Diamond Dogs mixed with those of the male visitors, as everyone was on the same page.

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Here we are now. Entertainers.

I feel stupid. And contagious.

And of course, no one could mute Dawson Leery, as he appeared as if out of then air on top of a small dancing platform in the middle of the floor.

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Outside things may be tragic,

But in here we're feeling magic!

Do the Can-Can-Can!

The place erupted with movement. Pacey was in a daze as everyone around him danced the routine perfectly. Leery looked down over the crowd and smiled…he was going to make a lot of money tonight. He gave them another minute to dance before he sung again.

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Now shhh! 

Instantly, the Moulin Rouge fell quiet. You could have heard a pin drop from Pacey's apartment two blocks away. Everyone turned towards Dawson…who waited a moment before screaming once again, "Do the Can-Can-Can!" The crowd erupted and this time, Pacey was ready to be apart of the fun.

Unfortunately for him, right at that moment, Charlie and Jack appeared on each side of him. "Where have you been?!" they cried in unison.

But Pacey didn't respond. He didn't want to. All he wanted to do was sing. And the words were coming to him…so he let it all out.

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God this is good for your mind!

Pacey smiled out over the dance floor, but finally his mind gave in to the sounds of his name being shouted from a table a few feet away. "Come here Pacey! Over here!" 

It was Jack and his friends, and regretfully, Pacey walked over and took a seat across from Jack at the table. Behind Pacey was a wall, and on the other side of it was another table, where a man, equally as astonished with the Moulin Rouge sat. The man soon had company at his table, in the form of Dawson Leery. 

"Mission accomplished," Jack whispered across the table, the trademark grin still present on his face. "We successfully evaded Leery." Everyone in the group acknowledged their accomplishment, but before too much celebrating could be done, the lights of the Moulin Rouge went black. And a small, blue-white stream of light shot down onto the floor. In the light you could make the shadow of a woman being lowered to the ground on a swing.

"It's her…" whispered Jack, "The Sparkling Diamond." 

Right then, at that moment, Pacey understood why she was called the Sparkling Diamond. She did indeed sparkle. She had a certain glow, an aura, about her that was undeniably sexy. It made perfect sense that every man in Paris wanted to be with her. She was the most beautiful thing any of them had ever seen, including Pacey and the man sitting with Dawson.

As she lowered into everyone's view, the crowd went quiet as the dead. Her performances were always mind blowing, and everyone anxiously waited another to be just like it. The anticipation was so great that mostly everyone forgot to breathe. She glanced in the general direction of Pacey's table, and then slowly opened her mouth to sing.

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The French are glad,

To die, for love.

They delight, in fighting duels.

Pacey could feel himself falling hard and fast for The Sparkling Diamond, a woman he didn't even know. Her voice was angelic, and he absolutely could not wait until he got to meet her after the show and share his modern poetry.

There was just one problem. Jack was confused. Someone else was to meet Josephine that night. It was Leery's financier, The Duke of Mammoth, Drue Valentine. The man who sat at the table next to Pacey's with Dawson Leery himself. If the Moulin Rouge would ever be able to finance a show, it would be because Drue Valentine, The Duke, donated the money.

And what better way could Leery convince The Duke to invest than by offering him Paris' most famous prostitute, Josephine Potter, The Sparkling Diamond.

Both Pacey and The Duke stared on in awe at Josephine.

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But I prefer, a man who lives…

And gives expensive…

Gifts.

The swing Josephine was sitting on began to circle around in the air, quickly picking up speed as she passed above all the hungry, rich men who were jumping their highest to try to touch her. The swing made its way down to the ground, and all the men cleared her a whole to land in, and all stayed closely circled around her. The close proximity didn't bother her. She was after all; very, very used to it.

__

A kiss on the hand may be quite continental.

Jennifer and Andie quickly joined in on the singing fun from outside of Josephine's huge circle of men. 

__

But diamonds are a girl's best friend.

Josephine quickly danced from guy to guy throughout the crowded circle. Stopping long enough at each one to grab a pearl necklace or diamond ring that some of the desperate men had brought to try to bribe her.

__

A kiss may be grand but it,

Won't pay the rental on your humble flat.

Or help you feed your alley cat!

The Sparkling Diamond danced her way to the front of the dance floor, where she joined Jennifer and Andie in swaying their hips and singing the song.

__

Men grow cold,

As girls grow old.

And we all lose our charms in the end.

But square cut or pear shape,

These rocks don't lose their shape!

Diamonds are a girl's best friend!

Just seeing her had given Drue almost all the encouragement he needed to invest. Almost. Even though he hated tearing his eyes away from Josephine, he turned towards Dawson and asked a simple question as Josephine's number carried on. "When do I get to meet the girl?"

__

Tiffany!

Dawson smiled. Everything was going perfectly. It was perfectly obvious to him that The Duke was more than interested. "After her number I have arranged a special meeting between you and Mademoiselle Josephine." Dawson leaned forward and lowered his voice to add to the effect of his words. "Totally alone."

__

Cartier!

Jack smiled as he watched Pacey stare in awe at his friend Josephine. He leaned forward across the table and whispered to him…"After her number I have arranged a private meeting between you and Mademoiselle Josephine. Totally alone."

"Alone?!" Pacey screamed out. Alone?! He couldn't meet her alone. He was already the biggest bundle of nerves anyone had ever laid eyes on and that was when he thought everyone would there to help him.

Jack simply smiled and nodded before turning back to the show.

"Totally alone."

Josephine, Andie, and Jen stood in the middle of the dance floor, with men encircling them. They simply danced with each other, provoking pleasurable responses from all the men in the crowd.

__

'Cause we are living, in a material world.

And I am a material…

Girl!

The circle of men descended on the three ladies, and they were all lifted up into the air. Like crazy teenage fans crowd surfing at a concert, they were quickly being passed up towards the stage. Dawson watched the ladies movements, and smiled over at The Duke. "Excuse me." And with that he stood, and quickly ran along the side of the dance floor, trying to beat the three females to the stage.

__

Black Star…

Rozz Call…

Talk to me Dawson Leery tell me all about it!

"Ha ha!" was Dawson Leery's response as he met the vixen on stage. Josephine and Dawson danced closely together, turning her sexy number into an even more arousing duet. Even though their relationship was like that of a brother and sister…neither could deny how sexy they found the other one to be, even if nothing could have happen with it.

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There may come a time when a, lass needs a lion.

But diamonds are a girl's best friend.

And there may come a time when a, hot-boiled employer,

Thinks you're awful nice.

Get that ice or there's no dice!

Meanwhile, at the tables, Pacey's head was about to explode. He couldn't fathom the idea of being alone with that beautiful woman. Jack could tell he was on the verge of complete lunacy, so he simply smiled at him, "Don't worry! I'll calm your nerves with some tea!" As he turned to summon their waitress, he accidentally bumped into her, causing her tray to fall over.

Unfortunately for Jack, the tray was holding several glasses of hot tea, and when the tray was knocked over, the tea proceeded to land in the lap of the one and only Drue Valentine, The Duke. 

Dawson and Joey began to dance back to back, rotating in a circle, each showing off for the audience. They spoke loud enough so that they could hear each other, but quiet enough to where no one in the audience could hear them over the music. "Is the Duke here Dawson?" she asked, while showing off a bright diamond necklace to the crowd of men.

"Indeed he is." Dawson smiled, and then looked over at Drue's table. Unfortunately, he couldn't just point the Duke out to Josephine, because due to their dance routine, whenever one of them was facing the Duke and Pacey's direction, the other was facing the opposite way. Dawson gasped as he noticed that something had been spilled on his possible financier. His eyes widened as he saw Jack waving a handkerchief around at Drue, trying to clean him up.

"Which one is he?" Josephine asked, continuing to dance along.

As Dawson started to turn away from the Duke's direction, he answered her, "He's the on Jack is shaking a hanky at." But what Dawson didn't see was that Jack had ran over to Pacey to borrow a handkerchief, since the one he had been using was now soaked in tea.

As Josephine's peripheral vision picked up Pacey's table, she saw Jack grabbing a hanky from Pacey, and assumed that Pacey Witter, was indeed the Duke, and a very handsome Duke at that. Normally, most of the rich and powerful were also the ugly and rude. His boyish good looks made Josephine wonder if Dawson was mistaken. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Let me take a peek," Dawson replied, snaking his head around Josephine's waist. As luck would have it, by the time he turned around, Jack was already back at Drue's table, trying to dry off his crotch as The Duke tried to push him off. "That's the one, chick-pea. I just hope that crazy Jack doesn't scare him away."

Jack was trying hard to help cleanup the stranger, but he was starting to get annoyed with his constant screaming and complaining. Finally, he just threw the hanky in Drue's face, and sarcastically bit back, "Clean yourself up you mud eating pig!" Jack then snorted at him, just like a piglet, for effect. 

Jack then felt a rather large hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Drue's bodyguard, Wilder, scowling down at him. He said no words, simply pushed back his jacket, to reveal a shiny, silver gun holstered in by his waist. Jack got the message. He turned towards Drue and quickly apologized. "Sorry! Sorry!" Jack quickly ran back to his own table, and silently prayed that their confrontation was over.

Meanwhile, back on stage, Dawson and Joey were still dancing. As Dawson had slowly made his way away from Josephine, she growled and rolled her fingers, motioning him to come back to her. As he did, they both simultaneously hit their knees, and they were soon encircled by a group of Diamond Dogs, who all lifted up their skirts to conceal Dawson and Joey from the audience.

Dawson and Joey quickly began to change outfits. Dawson, out of his flamboyant red overcoat, and into a simple look of white dress pants and a white dress shirt, and Josephine slipped out of her tiny dress into a sparkling diamond dress that barely covered her most intimate areas. "Will he invest?" She questioned as she struggled with a strap.

"I'm sure," Dawson, was trying to find the right shirt as he spoke. It was hard to concentrate when the most wanted woman in the room was naked 6 inches in front of you. "After spending the night with you, how could he refuse?"

"Well what's his type? Wilting flower?" Joey made a shy, girlish little laugh. "Bright and bubbly?" She then made a high pitched squeal. "Or smoldering temptress?" She seductively growled over at Dawson.

"I'd say…smoldering temptress." He sighed, as he was almost finished changing. "We're all relying on you Jo." Jo…very few people could get away with calling her Joey, and only a select few would she allow to call her Jo. But she had known Dawson for as long as she could remember, and she had no problem with him using the nickname, although he only used it during the most serious of conversations.

Andie and Jennifer were keeping the crowd entertained with an exciting strip tease. Each making the group of men think they were going to bare it all, only to pull their clothes back and then step out of the light so that the other one could tease, and delight, the eccentric men.

Dawson gave her a few last words as she messed with her hair. "Remember, a real show, in a real theater, with a real audience, and you'll be…"

Joey finished his sentence, "A real actress." She thought about that for a minute, before giving Dawson a one sided grin and popping back out of the lifted skirt-made closet. 

__

Cause that's when those louses,

Go back to their spouses!

Dawson made his way backstage as Josephine danced her way towards the tables where the Duke and Pacey were seated. Her eyes were fixed on Pacey as she made her way closer to him, mistakenly under the impression that he was the Duke.

__

Diamonds…are…a….girl's….best…

Friend.

She smiled down at Pacey as she stood only inches in front of him. She whispered to him, "I believe you were expecting me?" 

Pacey stared up at her, and immediately forgot that he had a voice to speak with. Her smile captured him, and he was lost in some sort of daze that he had never been in before. Finally, he managed to whisper, "Yes," thinking that her coming to him was about the private poetry reading they were scheduled to have later that night.

Josephine nodded and then turned back to the crowd of men. She walked a few steps towards them and held her arms out, "I believe it's lady's choice." The men smiled their approval and she pointed her finger over at Pacey, who was still in some sort of shock at his table.

Charlie patted him on the shoulder, "Alright my friend, she wants you to dance." The group of thespians tried to push Pacey out onto the dance floor, but he wouldn't budge. He was absolutely terrified.

Josephine let out an offended whine and a collective "Aww," fell over the group of men. To cheer her up, a chant quickly came over the audience, "Josephine! Josephine!" She smiled and started to dance around, causing the crowd to grow deafly loud.

Jack walked over to her, and tried to scream over the crowd, "I see you've met my English friend!" 

Josephine bit back, "I told you I would take care of it Jack!" She was annoyed with him. She was busy trying to seduce a man who she thought was their possible financier, and she didn't need to hear about another one of Jack's plans at the moment. 

She twirled her way back to where Pacey sat, and grabbed his hand. In a low, seductive whisper she said, "Let's dance." She pulled him out of his seat and ran onto the stage as Karen, another one of the popular Diamond Dogs, began to sing on stage. 

__

Give in to the rhythm of the night,

Dance until the morning light.

Josephine quickly began to dance to the energetic Latin beats as Pacey stood at the edge of the dance floor, froze. Finally, after a push from Charlie and Sateese, he made his way to her. Pacey slowly began to dance, a little afraid of all the eyes on him. Josephine began to dance quickly around him and a circle. He slowly smiled, and began to loosen up.

"That seems to be going well." Sateese commented.

"Incredible," threw in the bearded-man, in disbelief over how well Pacey began to dance.

"He has a way with women," added Charlie.

Jack smiled at them all, and nodded. "I told you. He's a genius."

The dance between Joey and Pacey began to heat up, as their bodies slowly creeped closer. He glanced around at the hundreds of couples dancing around them and took note of how in sync everyone's dancing was.

Suddenly he felt Josephine's hands on his chest, and her touch took his breath away. He thought it was the best feeling he had ever felt, until she, like the other Moulin Rouge dancers, slowly crouched down, leaving a trail of her breath from the tip of his ear, down his chest, and then below his waist. The feeling was like heaven, and Pacey immediately felt as if his pants were two sizes smaller.

She quickly popped back up and linked her arm around his neck, as his fell around her waist, and they began to walk to the beat, side by side, doing a tango of sorts.

Dawson looked on from backstage, and was able to see Josephine dancing with a man, with both of their backs to him. Due to the rather large top hat Pacey was wearing, and the fact that he could only see them from the back, Dawson couldn't tell that she was dancing with the wrong man. He simply smiled back at one of his assistants. "That Duke sure can dance."

As they danced back in forth in a rather repetitive type dance, Joey decided it was never too soon to try to convince him to invest. Little did she know, Pacey was only the penniless writer that Jack had told her about earlier in the evening. "I think it's so wonderful of you to take an interest in our little show."

"It sounds very exciting, I would be delighted to be involved." 

"Really?!" Her voice gave away how surprised she was to hear him say that. She was almost positive that it would take a lot more physical convincing before he gave in.

"Assuming you like what I do of course." 'Yes really!' he thought as he danced with her. It seemed to be everyone's dream to be apart of a true Bohemian production, why was it such a surprise that he wanted in too? Pacey was beginning to think that maybe there had been a misunderstanding somewhere, until he remembered that he was supposed to be a famous English writer, and not just a simple child of the revolution. Now he just hoped that she would like his poetry.

Joey simply smiled at him. A man who actually cared if _she _enjoyed their romp in the sack, what a rarity that was in the Moulin Rouge. She lowered her voice to that of the "Smoldering temptress," and replied, "I'm sure I will."

Their conversation would have been gut-busting hilarious to any eavesdropper who understood what was going on. There they were, dancing with each other, each of them completely oblivious to what the other one thought the conversation was about. Joey was fully convinced that her and the Duke were talking about the sex they were arranged to have later that night, while Pacey was sure their conversation was about his arranged poetry reading, also scheduled for that night.

Pacey smiled and tipped his hat to his friends over at the table. They smiled and tipped their hats back, as he turned his attention back to Josephine. "Ya know, Jack thought we might be able to do it in private."

"Did he?!" Joey she questioned, a little taken back that Jack had been discussing sex with the Duke. But of course, she had no idea that Pacey was not the Duke, and that he was not talking about sex.

"Yes…you know…a _private _poetry reading?"

"Ohhh." She nodded her understanding as Pacey dipped her. Joey immediately assumed that the man she thought was the Duke was speaking metaphorically, and that "poetry reading" was just his semi-polite way of saying sex.

She turned the "Smoldering temptress," attitude back on and ran her hands over Pacey's chest. "Poetry? Ooh, I love a little poetry after supper!" In that sexy voice of hers, she simply giggled and continued to dance with him. 

Pacey, on the other hand, was quite confused as to what she meant by her comment. He was told that he was only to be a part of a simple poetry reading…but he was starting to get the feeling that he was scheduled to do much more than that.

The voices of the men in the crowd slowly began to overtake Karen's rendition of "Rhythm of the Night."

__

Here we are now. Entertainers.

We feel stupid. And contagious.

Everyone on the floor was dancing at an incredible pace, sensing the climax to the number drawing near. Finally, Josephine screamed over the music and singing. "Take off your hats!"

Pacey watched her lift her leg and kick his top hat into the air. At first, his gaze was fixed on the view that her leg kicking had given him, but then his conscious got the better of him and he lifted his head to watch his hat fly into the air. After a few seconds, he caught it, and when he turned back to where Josephine was standing, she wasn't there.

He glanced back into the air, and saw her sitting on the same swing she had arrived in, singing a much slower version of the song she was singing earlier in the evening.

__

Diamonds.

Diamonds.

Pacey made his way back to his table, and was met with several pats on the back and many more congratulatory remarks.

__

Square cut or pear shape.

These rocks! Won't lose their shape.

Diamonds. 

Are a girl's…best….

Before she could sing the last word, a pain hit Josephine, deep inside her chest. She struggled for air, and her vision began to blur. Everyone on the ground had his or her hands shaking in the air, awaiting the final word of the night, one that would never come.

As the crowd was going wild, Dawson was the first to notice that something was wrong. He gasped, and quickly tried to make his way off the top floor stage, to the middle of the dancing floor where she sat on a swing, fifty feet above the ground.

Pacey was the next to notice the problem, and as he saw her grips on the sides of the swing loosen, his mind, and for some reason his heart, were overcome with fear.

Suddenly, a scream was heard over the crowd. It was Dawson Leery, screaming "No!" as he watched his main attraction, and friend, unconsciously fall from her swing fifty feet in the air, her body quickly heading towards the wooden floor below.


End file.
